Chicken with wing and leg paralysis - need help with diagnosis!

wcheek

In the Brooder
10 Years
Jul 26, 2009
10
0
22
I have a 17mth old golden sebring (sebrite? - I forget!) bantam that started showing signs of listlessness a couple weeks ago. A week ago Saturday, we found her on her side, having a tough time walking and falling over. The other birds were starting to pick on her. I brought her inside, and have been feeding her since. She can't get the food on her own, can't seem to move her wings at all now, and has very limited movement of her legs, though can't stand. She can move her left leg a bit better than her right. Her droppings are normal looking. She does have head lice that are irritating her - especially since she can't really seem to preen/scratch. She can turn her head and will try to do limited preening. She doesn't seem to be in pain, but I'm not sure how to tell.

We have another chicken (18mth buff orpington) that every couple months will restrict herself to a nesting box, has a pale comb, ruffled up feathers, decreased appetite and stops laying, but she typically comes out of it after coming inside for some tlc.

I treated them with Wazine in their water (whole flock) last Wednesday, and did see some roundworms pass in the bantam. I'm not thinking Mareks, because the bantam doesn't exhibit all the symptoms I've been reading about (though they seem to be incredibly varied), and she came from a very reputable hatchery where I'm assuming she would have been vaccinated for it. I can't remember where, but I thought I'd seen that small roundworms could cause paralysis as well. A friend thinks the Buff Orpington may have coccidosis - maybe I've got a couple things going on? This is our first flock, and she was our first chicken, so I'm just really learning about all this.

Any help with diagnosis, treatments, etc would be SOO appreciated. If the second chicken has coccidosis, can I treat them NOW, or do I need to wait after treating the flock with Wazine 17? For the second treatment for the roundworms, I read I should use Ivermectin - our local stuff has the percentages, but it's listed for sheep, etc - is it ok, or should I be looking for stuff specifically labeled for chickens? Also, is there any chance that my bantam will regain her movement again? She's eating LIKE A CHAMP and really doesn't seem to be suffering at all, so I'm willing to keep working with her, but if she's got no chance of improvement, I'll do what needs done.

Thank you!!
 
No replies, maybe my post was too long??

1. what can cause paraylsis

2. do I have to wait to treat for cocci after treating for worms with Wazine. I treated for worms last Wed/Thurs, and it appears I need to treat for cocci as well.

Thank you!!
 
1 more bit of info: someone at tractor supply gave my husband Duramycin-10 to treat the chickens for cocci. Is this correct? It says not to use in egg layers - is this AT ALL, or just that we need to dump the eggs for a bit after giving it to them? Thank you!
 
No, Duramycin is not correct. Use Sulmet or Amprol for cocci. But I don't think that is all of the problem.

Botulism will also present with paralysis as a symptom. I'd have to find the info but using molassis as a drench to flush the bird out helps to mitigate the organism.

Is there any thing, any place that they can get to that you would really rather they didn't? Is there any old feed lying on the ground or in their pens? Most of the time that is the source of botulism.

On the Mareks statement, those are all the symptoms listed it doesn't mean they'll exhibit them all. Just because the person you got the bird from is a serious breeder does not automatically mean the bird was vaccinated. I don't vaccinate because I've never had Mareks on my place. Many serious breeders don't. Plus vaccination is not 100%.
 
Thank you so much for the info, Robin.

There is no old feed around, but we have had the area around the coop flood 3 times this year (first time the area has flooded in the 6 years we've lived here). What about old straw? Could that be a culprit? They were scratching around in an old bale. I do a search on botulism and see what I can find, and will check with the local hatchery to see if they did vaccinate (just to be sure).

Is there a reason to not use the Duramycin (tetracycline hydrochloride)? I am not doubting you, just trying to understand these different treatments!
 
Ok, new info here:

I was just out there and I have another girl that is starting to limp.

I talked with the hatchery I got my chicks from, and he agreed on Sulmet for treating cocci, but said that's not what she'd be dealing with since she's over a year old. He didn't have any good answers for the paralysis, but did think I should give them the second dose of wormer - I just forgot to ask WHEN!! (How soon after using the Wazine).
 
There is no old feed around, but we have had the area around the coop flood 3 times this year (first time the area has flooded in the 6 years we've lived here). What about old straw? Could that be a culprit? They were scratching around in an old bale. I do a search on botulism and see what I can find,

Here is a link for ya:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2599387#p2599387
 
From what other people have said, I agree that it could be Mareks.

Also some info:

It's Sebright
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And when your Buff Orp. restricts her self to the nest box, she is probably broody and wants to hatch chicks. By taking her inside you most likely broke her of the broodiness. It is normal for a broody hen to only get up once every day or every couple days to eat, drink, poop, etc. Nothing to be afraid about. I'm sorry I can't help you with the Sebright. I hope she gets better
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If she's broody, does that account for pale comb? Also, she's not laying, and hasn't for awhile...

Thanks for the link!
 

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